Entertainment
by SecondAlternateLieutenant
Summary: A slightly unconventional way to entertain a screaming baby. Fluffffffffffy one-shot.


She wouldn't stop crying.

"Korra." Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can you please take her? She won't stop." He was trying to hold their daughter in one arm and cook with the other hand, but the screaming baby wasn't making it easy. Korra sighed and came from the other room where she'd been doing laundry and cleaning up toys to take their daughter in her arms.

"It doesn't matter." She muttered. "It's not like she'll calm for me either." She started rocking their daughter in her arms to calm her down, but the baby continued to scream. "You fed her?"

"Yes, her diaper is dry too." Mako was scowling at his wife as she tried to calm their daughter. He wasn't mad at her specifically; he was more annoyed that neither of them could calm their daughter. That they weren't good enough parents to keep their daughter happy.

"Come on sweetheart." Korra crooned to the baby, trying so hard to calm her down. "Please stop crying." Tears started to fall from Korra's eyes and Mako felt guilty for his own thoughts. "Why won't you stop crying?"

"Aiko." Mako turned off the stove and faced his daughter. She was ten months old now and could hold herself up, but was still sobbing inconsolably. "Aiko look." He held out his hand and let a burst of flame pop into it. She quieted a little, but little whines still escaped her, but she shoved her first into her mouth. It was working, but neither of them spoke to jinx it, so Mako made the fire spin in a little circle on his hand. Aiko sniffled and reached her hand out to touch the fire, but Korra caught it.

"No baby, hot." Korra shook her head and released the baby's hand to hold out her own. A tiny stream of water came to her hand and she spun it like Mako had, a little wave in her hair. Aiko was fascinated and watched the water, reaching for it. Korra passed her daughter to Mako and played with the water between her hands, adding a little fire to create a fascinating illusion. Aiko forgot whatever was making her upset and gave her father the chance to look in her little mouth.

_Of course_. He almost groaned at how dumb they'd been. Pema had warned them that Aiko would start teething soon. "Korra." He kept his voice soft to not distract the baby. "She's teething; make her a piece of ice."

"Oh." Korra's face lit up with understanding and made a show of creating a small stick of ice before presenting it to their daughter. Aiko stared at it for a second before grabbing it and shoving it in her mouth with a smile on her face. "Is that better?" Korra stroked the little fluff on her head that presently made up her hair.

"Her gums are red." Mako murmured as Aiko leaned against his chest to suck on the ice, the coldness of it soothing her irritated mouth.

"Poor thing." Korra sighed and took Aiko back into her arms. "I'm sorry Mommy and Daddy didn't know what to do." She kissed the baby's forehead. "We're new at this."

"To put it mildly." Mako sighed and turned their dinner back on.

"Want to see Mommy Earthbend, Aiko?" Korra sat on their worn couch with Aiko in her lap and made some of the dirt from a small potted plant and started to play with it for their daughter's amusement. Korra made the dirt change shapes and then swirl around Aiko to tease her. The smells of Mako cooking were amazing; between the two of them they only had his fair skills to work with. Aiko was finally quiet and chewing on the piece of ice Korra kept cold for her.

Even when things got rough, they managed to fix them. Korra let the dirt fall back into the pot while Aiko's eyes drooped closed where she lay on her Mommy's chest. Mako quietly finished their dinner and ladled it over a bed of rice and brought the bowl in to her. "She asleep?" He asked quietly and looked at her.

"Barely." Korra smiled at the baby as the ice slipped out of her mouth. "Give her a few minutes before we move her or she'll scream again."

"We don't need that." Mako grinned and handed his wife a slice of bread which she bit off a piece with a flourish. It was a quiet night from then on, nothing like the nights they'd been pro-benders and spent their nights with extreme adrenaline rushes. Now they sat at home and took care of their daughter as best they possibly could as new parents.

And they loved every second of it.


End file.
